How do you find out what zone you are in?

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pajaritomt Los Alamos, NM(Zone 5a) Jul 14, 2006

I know I am zone 5 but the way they draw the contour lines I can't tell whether I am in 5a or 5b. They fall very close together here where altitude changes rapidly from place to place. How did you all find out?
Betty

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HERBIE43 Rutland , MA(Zone 5b) Jul 14, 2006

you can call your local garden center of go on the internet and type in "usda hardiness zones"

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pajaritomt Los Alamos, NM(Zone 5a) Jul 14, 2006

Thanks! I can't actually find my town on the USDA map because it shows no towns or geological features -- like the Rio Grande in my area. But your tip about the internet led me to a site by the National Gardening Association which allows you to enter your zip code and to get your zone. That worked perfectly.

http://www.garden.org/zipzone/index.php

Betty

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pajaritomt Los Alamos, NM(Zone 5a) Jul 14, 2006

Now, I noticed the link on the "my info" section of Dave's Garden. As I said before the USDA one doesn't give enough detail for me to find myself, but the Better Homes and garden one does. It puts me in 6b but I think when I look at the temperatures I agree more with the National Gardening Association, though it has been a while since we got lower than 5 below 0 F, Still, I remember times when it got to -20 F

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Indy Alexandria, IN(Zone 6a) Jul 14, 2006

Also there is a heat zone map for growing season temperatures....probably more important for vegetable gardening than the usual hardiness zones.

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pajaritomt Los Alamos, NM(Zone 5a) Jul 15, 2006

Where do you find the heat zone map? You are right that that would be important for me, since altitude is a major factor in coolness of the nights which is a major factor in the setting of tomatoes and probably other veggies.

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Indy Alexandria, IN(Zone 6a) Jul 15, 2006

This is a link to state by state heat maps.
At the bottom of this page is a link to the master copywrited site.

http://www.gardeningplaces.com/heatzonemap/

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pajaritomt Los Alamos, NM(Zone 5a) Jul 15, 2006

Thanks, Indy. I bookmarked it. According to this map I live in zone 4! Not 5a or 5b. I am not sure where that leaves me, but it does explain a lot. people can grow okra in much lower numbered zones than 5 but my okra comes out about 8 inches high and stays that way, producing 1 or 2 okras per plant, if I am lucky. Yet cool weather crops do well here all year -- spinach, lettuce, etc. Thanks so much for the info!


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